An anti-immigration protest in Glasgow that turned violent last weekend attracted several hundred people. Those attending included loyalists from Northern Ireland with criminal convictions.
Far right organisation Knights Templar International, whose frontman Jim Dowson has a long history of involvement with extremist groups, is now supporting Scotland’s new wave of night patrols.
A string of central Glasgow properties are owned by a company belonging to the head of an investment firm behind a Russian shipping hub. Researchers say the port sustains Moscow’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.
Police Scotland has launched an investigation and is seeking information from the public about a stag that was filmed being shot and killed in a Highland sea loch.
The video, published by The Ferret on 7 November 2020, shows a herd of deer running into a sea loch watched by a stalking party. A man aiming a gun is encouraged to “whack” the stag, which is then shot once, while in the water.
There is discussion about whether to take a second shot, but that is not done, and the stag struggles in the water for around 90 seconds before sinking. The group can then be heard laughing and congratulating the shooter.
On 19 November, Police Scotland told The Ferret it was probing the incident. “We are aware of the footage and are investigating the matter,” said a spokesperson.
“At this time, we would ask anyone with information about the incident, such as when and exactly where it took place, to contact police on 101, quoting reference NP/2780/20.”
The incident was also being probed by the British Deer Society (BDS), which oversees humane deer control. In a Facebook post on October 30, the organisation said it was “shocked and deeply concerned by the footage”.
BDS’s Facebook post later disappeared, but on 3 November the society confirmed to The Ferret that it was still investigating the incident. However, on 16 November, BDS would not say whether its probe was ongoing.
The video was condemned by cabinet secretary, Michael Russell and by other shooters using social media and a deer hunting forum called the Stalking Directory.
The Ferret was told the stag was shot on the northwest coast by a client of West Highland Hunting, which advertises “trophy” stags to potential clients on its website.
When contacted about Police Scotland’s investigation into the shot stag, the firm did not respond to our requests to comment.
On 18 November, we reported that West Highland Hunting offers clients the chance to shoot rare stags and other animals for up to £8,000. The firm’s 2020 price list, obtained by The Ferret, offered bespoke hunting packages for a range of animals including white red stags, sika stags, Père David bulls, roe bucks and feral billy goats.
Critics of trophy hunting – including politicians and the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting – called for the sport to be abolished.
Thousands of species rely on Scotland’s indigenous trees to survive. In our public woodlands, they’re vastly outnumbered by non-native timber plantations.
The company that runs Scotland’s ageing nuclear power station wants to weaken safety standards to keep it running for at least four more years. But the nuclear safety watchdog has its doubts.
The Ferret did a deep dive to explain why a bird cull on Lewis dating back centuries is causing outrage amid claims it's a "blood sport"
The Scottish Government gave local authorities £20m to tackle a "nature emergency". But we found that around £4m of that sum was spent on fixing cars and office equipment, among other non-environmental spending
